Ever since hearing the author of Tender Morsels, Margo Lanagan, speak while I was in Chicago, I have waited for time to read this book. I had heard mixed reviews, especially that the beginning of the story is controversial and hard to get through. I am on page 114, I think I got through the beginning since at 436 pages I am almost a third of the way through the book, but I am feeling that this is one of the very few books I have ever started that I will be unable to finish. The beginning was rough- it took me awhile to figure out what they were talking about- a 14 year old girl is being abused by her father and is forced to miscarry before she even realizes what is happening to her- but her circumstances change and the story just gets confusing. Part of me thinks I should battle through another 50 pages of so to see if things improve because this book was a runner up for the 2009 Printz Award (the best of YA literature), won an Honor and is on the Best Books for YA 2009 list.

I often have a hard time seeing what the committees see in some of the award-winning books. I did LOVE a few of the ones that won prizes recently: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (the Newbery winner)and Graceling by Kristen Cashore. But I had trouble with Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta (the Printz winner), Ocatavian Nothing by MT Anderson, Nation by Terry Pratchett and Madapple by Christina Meldrum- these stories are very convoluted, intense and confusing- maybe its me and these just aren't my kind of stories. I'll keep trying!